Dec 8 & 14: Newport Classical Celebrates the Holiday Season with Four December Concerts

L-R Photo of Cantus by Nate Ryan; Photo of Frisson by Dorothy Shi. Available in high resolution here.

Newport Classical Celebrates the Holiday Season with Four December Concerts

Cantus at the Mansion: Songs of the Season
Featuring Cantus with The Choir School of Newport County
Sunday, December 8, 2024 | 1pm and 3:30pm
Rosecliff | 548 Bellevue Ave. | Newport, RI 

Classical Christmas
Featuring Frisson
Saturday, December 14, 2024 | 1pm and 3:30pm
Emmanuel Church | 42 Dearborn St. | Newport, RI

Tickets On Sale October 7: www.newportclassical.org

Newport, RI – Newport Classical celebrates the holiday season with two weekends of festive programs in December – Cantus at the Mansion: Songs of the Season featuring Cantus with The Choir School of Newport County in two performances on Sunday, December 8, 2024 at 1pm and 3:30pm at Rosecliff (548 Bellevue Ave.), and Classical Christmas featuring Frisson on Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 1pm and 3:30pm at Emmanuel Church (42 Dearborn St.). Tickets will go on sale on Monday, October 7, 2024 at www.newportclassical.org. 

On December 8, Newport Classical presents a modern twist on a timeless Christmas tradition with Cantus’s Songs of the Season in the gilded opulence of Rosecliff Mansion. The acclaimed low-voice ensemble, known for their “exalting finesse” and “expressive power” (Washington Post), returns to Newport after their enchanting, sold-out performance in 2023. Cantus is joined by the Professional Choristers of The Choir School of Newport County, led by Peter Berton. In a performance perfect for families and classical music aficionados alike, the hour-long concert blends poetry with sacred and secular music by reimagining the beloved Nine Lessons and Carols format made famous by the Choir of King’s College at the University of Cambridge. This concert is made possible through Cynthia Sinclair’s generous philanthropic support of The Choir School of Newport County. The fan-favorite Messiah at the Mansion will return to Newport in 2025.

Newport Classical’s community holiday celebration, Classical Christmas, returns to the English Gothic Revival architecture of Emmanuel Church on December 14 with two spirited afternoon concerts of classical chamber music. The dynamic ensemble Frisson, featuring young master musicians led by oboist Thomas Gallant, will perform seasonal favorites including the Nutcracker Suite, Vivaldi's "Winter," Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, Carol of the Bells, a Christmas Jazz Suite, and traditional carols. Following the concert, ring in the holidays with a festive reception graciously hosted by the Vestry of Emmanuel Church.

Up next on October 6, Newport Classical welcomes the globe-trotting musical duo Bridge & Wolak for a free, family-friendly Community Concert at Newport Classical Recital Hall. On October 8 and 9, GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Emanuel Ax will make his Newport Classical debut in two special concerts featuring a solo recital program of Beethoven and Schumann, entitled Fantasies. Newport Classical’s Chamber Series at Newport Classical Recital Hall continues on October 18 when Finnish-Cuban pianist Anton Mejias gives the US premiere of Twelve Preludes: The Art of Memory by composer Philip Lasser, performed alongside Book II of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Lasser’s new work is co-commissioned by the Dresdner Musikfestspiele and Newport Classical. Join Lasser for a conversation about his new work at 6:30 pm. On November 1, baritone Markel Reed, known for his appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, performs the music of Brahms, Margaret Bonds, Terence Blanchard, and more. Cellist Seth Parker Woods, celebrated by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace,” explores three centuries of music with Bach’s contemplative Sarabandes as a point of departure and return in his solo cello concert on November 15. 

The Chamber Series kicks off 2025 with a performance by the Telegraph Quartet, described as “powerfully adept, with a combination of brilliance and subtlety” by the San Francisco Chronicle, in music rarely experienced by its creators, the composers Rebecca Clarke, Beethoven, and Smetana, on January 24. Boyd Meets Girl comes to Newport for a performance on Valentine’s Day, February 14 – the impressive husband-and-wife guitar and cello duo has toured the world sharing their eclectic mix of music from Debussy and Bach to Radiohead and Beyoncé. On February 28, the acclaimed Trio Karénine, which has established itself in recent years as a key group on the French and international stage, pairs Schubert’s second piano trio with Dvořák’s rarely programmed second piano trio, filled with color, warmth, lively dance, and Slavic folk elements. Oboist James Austin Smith, hailed by The New York Times as “virtuosic,” and for his “dazzling” and “brilliant” performances, joins forces with acclaimed pianist Gloria Chien in music by William Grant Still, Clara Schumann, Camille Saint-Saëns, and more, on March 21. On April 25, Bulgarian-American violinist Bella Hristova, who has won international acclaim for her “expressive nuance and rich tone” (The New York Times) presents the music of Bach and Messiaen, alongside works by Grieg and Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, with pianist Anna Polonsky. Pianist Orion Weiss, known for his “powerful technique and exceptional insight” (The Washington Post) returns to Newport for a solo recital of Bach’s beloved Goldberg Variations on May 16. On June 13, the GRAMMY®-nominated Norwegian Trio Mediaeval, who captivate audiences with their crystalline voices, closes the 2024-2025 Newport Classical Chamber Series with an enchanting evening of Norwegian and Swedish traditional songs, hymns, fiddle tunes, and ballads.

The 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival will take place from July 4-22, 2025.

For Newport Classical’s complete concert calendar, visit www.newportclassical.org/concerts.

About Newport Classical:

Newport Classical is a premier performing arts organization that welcomes people of every age, culture, and background to intimate, immersive musical experiences. The organization presents world-renowned and up-and-coming artistic talents at stunning, storied venues across Newport – an internationally sought-after cultural and recreational destination.

Originally founded in 1969 as Rhode Island Arts Foundation at Newport, Inc., Newport Classical has a rich legacy of musical curiosity having presented the American debuts of hundreds of international artists and is most well-known for hosting three weeks of concerts in the summer in the historic mansions throughout Newport and Aquidneck Island. In the 55 years since, Newport Classical has become the most active year-round presenter of music on Aquidneck Island, and an essential pillar of Rhode Island’s cultural landscape, welcoming thousands of patrons all year long.

Newport Classical invests in the future of classical music as a diverse, relevant, and ever-evolving art form through its four core programs – the one-of-a-kind Music Festival; the Chamber Series in the Newport Classical Recital Hall; the free, family-friendly Community Concerts Series; and the Music Education and Engagement Initiative that inspires students in local schools to become the arts advocates and music lovers of tomorrow. These programs illustrate the organization’s ongoing commitment to presenting “timeless music for today.”

In 2021, the organization launched a new commissioning initiative – each year, Newport Classical will commission a new work by a Black, Indigenous, person of color, or woman composer as a commitment to the future of classical music. To date, Newport Classical has commissioned and presented the world premiere of works by Stacy Garrop, Shawn Okpebholo, Curtis Stewart, and Clarice Assad.